Here Comes Santa Claus...

The saying goes..."All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." With two teeth in and another two on the way, Brady had to ask Santa for something else for Christmas. Q: What do you get a five month old for Christmas? A: Plenty of empty boxes and wrapping paper.

Some of Brady's favorite gifts were a suitcase from Grandma and Grandpa, a pair of Ugg boots from Elizabeth in Australia, and "My Little Yellow Taxi" from Uncle Brian and "Aunt" Katie.

Attack of the Carrots

We had to wait until after the Thanksgiving holiday to introduce Brady to vegetables because we didn't want to go on information overload with every family member telling us a different way to introduce vegetables. Our plan was simple...who wouldn't like fruit over vegetables and orange is definitely a better color than green. That equated to veggies first and the orange ones over the green ones. As you can tell by the picture, he enjoyed the carrots!

Trick or Treat?

Ribbit...Ribbit...

What a cute Halloween costume. That's what you were thinking, right? Well, it would have been had it not been for the "wardrobe malfunction." No, not the Super Bowl kind. Let us explain.

You see, this picture was actually taken two weeks prior to Halloween. Look at all that extra room about his head. We were thinking, it's going to be perfect! It's amazing what can happen in 14 days at this age. Let's just say that we were a bit shocked when 'lil Mr. Chubby couldn't be stuffed into his costume. After our preliminary run, we didn't even consider a need for a plan B.

Additionally, we were working with a small window of opportunity. The kid goes to bed around 6:30. After spending several minutes trying to figure out why he didn't fit, then trying to think of a plan B, we ran out of time to actually go Trick or Treating. So, Brady's first Halloween was reduced to wearing his pumpkin pajamas to bed.

Phila-diaper-delphia

You're probably wondering what the title means. With all of the interesting sites in Philly, why is the title centered on diapers? Well, let's just say that Brady was very "active" during the trip. Have you ever tried planning and packing for an infant for a 5 day trip? If you ever do, take extra diapers!

To set the scene, imagine new parents flying with an infant for the first time. Add to that a recently imposed ban on all liquids on planes...um, he drinks formula every three or so hours. We soon learned that there is a declaration form for this...that they wanted you to fill out BEFORE you got into the security line. Too late for that! We're holding things up, and it was the first flight out that morning. We were making friends right and left...not really.

Okay, we made it through security. There must be a magic force that affects babies at that point, because Brady filled his first diaper immediately after we got through. At this point, you have two frazzled first time parents and a baby that needs changed in an airport...crying!

Some of you know the agreement that we made regarding changing #2 diapers, but just in case you don't: Since Amy carried the baby for 9 months, Rodney agreed to change all #2 diapers for the first 9 months. Bad move for Rodney.

We got him changed and we were off. Quick note, 10-15 minutes of crying during the boarding process, followed by either quiet play or sleeping the remainder of the flight. Things were going to be fine.

Shortly after arriving in Atlanta for the connecting flight, he did it again. This time, the #2 got onto his onesie. Ugh. Let's just say that he kept "Phil-ing" his diapers the whole trip! We even had to change one on the plane...in our laps.

On to Philly. We had a blast! Among other things, we got to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The picture above is Brady doing his best Rocky pose at the famous spot from the movie.

Back to the diaper tornado. Brady continued his barrage of diaper changes while in Philly, but not so bad that we had to buy more. We decided that we should be able to make it home with what we had. While waiting for our flight out of Philly, we not only had to change yet another diaper, we had to throw out a 2nd onesie!

On to Atlanta, where the weather was not so good earlier in the day. Actually, it caused several flight delays...including ours. To make this incredibly long story a bit shorter, we missed our connecting flight...and it was the last one of the day. So, we got to spend an extra evening in a hotel. Yahoo! Except, we were nearly out of diapers. For those of you that haven't had the luxury of staying in a hotel near the Atlanta airport, it isn't in the greatest neighborhood. Without any other options, Rodney was forced to take a cab to a 24 hour grocery store in the hood at midnight. One of the scariest cab rides ever. The things you will do for your kids!

Early the next morning, we finally made it home. The collateral damage? Amy missed another day of work, and Rodney had to cancel his plans to attend an executive development course at Northwestern. Did I mention that we got to see the Liberty Bell?

Illinois vs. Indiana

Brady's impression of his first Big Ten football game was that Illinois stinks if they can not even muster a win over Indiana, so I might as well take a nap. The weather was great, and Brady did well as long as there was no cheering for the Illini (retrospectively it looks like he could have attended every home game because there was not much cheering to be had this season.)

Crying in the Pumpkin Patch

Fall time is not complete without a trip to Tanner's Orchard. Maybe Brady will enjoy the annual event next year...

Miller Time

At least it will be in 20 1/2 years. For now, Similac Advance will have to do. Brady had a great time at his first Illini game. Illinois fell to the Orangemen, something Brady would soon get used to.

Mom, Mitch is Wearing My PJs Again!

Please let us introduce you to Brady's best buddy, Mitchell P. Monkey. Mitch for short. Mitch is the first thing he hugs when he goes to bed, and the first thing he grabs when it's time to get out of bed. Mitch has been known to get Brady in trouble from time to time. After all, he did teach him how to monkey around. Just in case you were wondering what the "P" stands for, it stands for primate.

A Stump No More

Some individuals might think it is odd to include this event as noteworthy for a blog entry, but these individuals must not be our friends or family. And all we have to say is that at least it is not a picture of a placenta.

Rub a Dub Dub

Don't let all of that hair fool you, this really was his first bath! Did he have a ton of dark hair or what? His first bath included a sponge bath as well as getting his hair washed and rinsed in the sink. He thoroughly enjoyed it, and actually he still enjoy baths. How can't you enjoy a chance to splash water all over mom and dad?

Read the Manual, Mom and Dad!!!

This picture has "first time parents" written all over it. As part of the formal discharge procedure from the hospital, new parents receive a quick fifteen primer on being parents. I guess we were too busy paying attention to the "Chicken Baby" video that we were not paying attention to the nurse when she was checking the fit of Brady in the car seat. How did they let us leave the hospital with the straps so far above his shoulders? No wonder he stuck his tongue out all the way home!

Gooooooooood morning, Peoria!

You wanna know why he's screaming? You try banging your head against a wall for a couple of hours, then having several lights shined in your face after nine months of darkness, while being naked in a hospital room full of strangers...not to mention having to adjust to breathing air, having no idea where your next meal is coming from, and finding out that Kerry Wood is on the DL again!

On to the birth details. Brady was born on July 13, 2006. He was born at 7:57 am on a Thursday morning, and it was a scorcher that day! He weighed 8 lbs. 11 1/2 oz., and he was 21 1/4 inches long.